A study in the journal Archives of Neurology suggests that intranasal insulin may help with cognition and functioning in patients who have both mild and more severe dementia.

Recent research has suggested that insulin plays an important role in a number of brain functions, in addition to regulating blood sugar. Insulin promotes cell repair and cell genesis, so the thinking is that it could actually modify the course of Alzheimer’s disease.

It also appears to protect against the toxic effects of beta-amyloid, the protein involved in the brain plaques associated with dementia. Insulin also prevents the formation of the toxic form of tau, a biomarker found in the cerebrospinal fluid.

The goal of this study was to supplement and normalize the insulin levels in the brain without affecting levels in the rest of the body. This was done with a device that was designed to deliver insulin through the nose to the brain without getting too much into the blood.

Patients treated with insulin were able to remember information over a period of time better than those who got placebo; in fact, performance improved 20%. They also showed an enhancement in brain glucose metabolism in some areas; those who received placebo tended to show a decline.

The treatment had the mild side effects of occasional mild headache and runny nose.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/12/insulin-may-help-treat-alzheimers/?hpt=hp_t2